{"id":4903,"date":"2017-10-26T15:31:01","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T19:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/?p=4903"},"modified":"2017-12-30T13:58:29","modified_gmt":"2017-12-30T18:58:29","slug":"finding-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dawnbanning.com\/newsblog\/finding-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"

It had all the drama of a summer storm. Clouds quickly accumulated encompassing the sky in darkness. Purple shadows inked across the landscape. Wind bent trees soon felt the pelt of rain on their willowy branches.<\/p>\n

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Julia Hargreaves – boreal expedition<\/p><\/div>\n

In midst of the brewing storm, her brush didn\u2019t loose rhythm. She remained on her granite perch overlooking the fresh water lake. A watercolour kit nested nearby.\u00a0The artist sat composed, engrossed, head bent to task, tilley hat securely at a signature tilt. Rain drifted while mist closed in. A moment I wished never to forget and desperate to capture. In fear of breaking the spell, I didn\u2019t even lift my camera.<\/p>\n

Julia Hargreaves<\/a> was in the flow.<\/p>\n

Thoughts drifted to another friend, who met challenge in the face of a storm.\u00a0He loped by with 2k left in the 21.1 k run, after a grueling hilly 90k bike and chilly 1.9 k swim. Unrelenting rain drenched both the triathletes and road ahead.\u00a0We watched him secure the lead, his face, a pale glazed mask.\u00a0His ghostly pallor, the only sign he had been fighting a horrible cold for a week.His floating stride never faltered. Undaunted, former pro triathlete Richard Pady<\/a> was in the zone.<\/p>\n

A \u201cdecades- old secret to happiness\u201d Mark Remy of Time Magazine* states flow is achievable to anyone, during a task that\u2019s both challenging and enjoyable. Weather you are painting in the wilderness, having the run of your life, or mastering spreadsheets, flow is possible.<\/p>\n

Imagine, in a state of flow, humans can learn up to 500% faster. Well, hang onto your hat, because scientists say it\u2019s possible<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remy says flow state is rare, not brought on by will. Elite athletes may have true \u2018flow\u2019 10% of the time in their career. Remy writes \u201cthe catch is patience\u201d.<\/p>\n

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In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\u2019s popular book \u201cFinding Flow<\/a>\u201d lessons are toted as \u2018life altering\u2019. This Amazon review interesting and in my opinion, truthful, \u201c\u00a0the absolute key, is to let go of any thoughts you have that work is oppressive and something to be escaped from.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mihaly relays a critical factor in his Ted Talk. He says such states of \u2018ecstasy\u2019 only happen to someone who is \u201cwell trained and has developed technique\u201d.<\/p>\n

In other words, just because you strummed a few chords on your Uncle\u2019s guitar in junior high, doesn\u2019t mean 30 years later, equip with \u2018 flow techniques\u2019 you can bang out Stairway to Heaven effortlessly.<\/p>\n

Flow may not be available on demand, but you can clear the path and establish consistent routine for its possibility. As Remy says, have patience.<\/p>\n

I view flow as both an energy state and state of mind. Think Yoda and the Force.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of my routine practices to welcome flow:<\/p>\n